Guild Wars 2's 5th expansion launches next week, and once again a mount is the star of the show

NPCs ride their new Warclaws. — (Image credit: ArenaNet)

We're just a week away from the launch of Guild Wars 2's fifth expansion, and with it the long awaited addition of player housing to ArenaNet's MMO. I've already spent a bunch of time with the new Homestead feature, but recently I got a chance to sample the rest of the expansion too—a hands-on press tour that let me try out a part of the new story, and explore some sections of the two new maps planned for the Janthir Wilds' launch.

The trouble with an MMO preview, though, is it can be hard to get a sense of what really matters to players. The new maps look nice—the first is a rustic haven for a new faction of bearfolk, full of cosy cabins hidden away in a wild forest biome. But this is a game designed to be played for hundreds of hours. The real meat of any Guild Wars 2 map is in the flow of its events, and the desirability of the rewards it offers. The real question is whether I'll still have reason to visit in three months'—hell, even three years'—time? Sure, I'm excited to explore these new spaces, and to properly attempt the second map's world boss meta with a proper number of players. Beyond that, though? I have no deeper analysis to offer.

Instead, I'm here to talk about instant, immediate gratification. I'm here to talk about the Warclaw.

The Warclaw was first added to Guild Wars 2 back in 2019, as the designated mount for the World vs World game mode. You could equip it in PvE, but really there wasn't any reason to. Unlike other mounts, it didn't offer any special traversal option. It had no role outside of the ability to use it in a competitive game mode.

With Janthir Wilds, though, the Warclaw is getting a glow up. A new mastery line will give it new functionality in PvE maps. It's getting a handful of new combat options, and the ability to sniff out nearby treasure. But most importantly, it's getting a double jump.

A Kodan of the Lowland Shore — (Image credit: ArenaNet)

When ArenaNet first mentioned this last month, my response was merely "huh, OK". It sounds neat, but how is a double jump useful in a world where the Skyscale exists? An extra mid-air jump is less impressive in a world where you can already fly short distances. But then I played it and realised it wasn't just a double jump. Your Warclaw's mid-air jump ability actually has three charges, but, more importantly, it's tied to the endurance bar and actually regains energy while you're still in the air. That means, if you time your jumps right, you can fit in even more.

I'll be honest: as we were playing through the expansion's first story chapter, I wasn't pulling my weight in the various fights that occurred. I was jumping—trying to see how far I could bounce through the air. Using Season 4's Bond of Vigor mastery skill and a Mount Energy Booster 3 installed in my Jade Bot, I counted 17 jumps before landing. Reader, that is not a double jump. That is a septendecuple jump. And I suspect I could have got that number higher if I'd really tried.

Bounce"

There are two important takeaways from this experiment. One, it is fun—just a real nice interaction. Good videogame stuff. Two, it might actually be a more useful traversal tool for vertical movement between two high points than the Skyscale, which has to battle with its flight meter over longer distances.

There are plenty of interesting quirks to Janthir Wilds—tweaks being made as ArenaNet refines the new annual expansion format that kicked off with last year's Secrets of the Obscure. The first map, for instance, won't feature a map-wide meta event chain. Instead, Renown Heart quests are returning, in a new tiered format that promises more rewards and even changes to the world as you move up the ranks. The annual roadmap has been updated, with raids returning in expansion's first major update later in the year. I've got plenty of questions about how it'll all play out—especially after SotO struggled to stick the landing on the story it was telling. My early time with Janthir Wilds didn't answer those questions—these are things that will take weeks and months to discover. But whatever the future holds, I'll be here, bouncing through it.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.